New Xbox Indie Releases

This topic will take a look at new Xbox Live Indie Games that have just been released onto the marketplace.

I'll start with today, Tuesday March 15th, 2011 - New Indie titles for today include:(NOTE: Click on each picture to be taken to the Xbox Live Marketplace page for each game)

Mute Crimson80 MSP

This Xbox Indie is a platformer that looks amateurish with hints of what certain Indie platformers are supposed to contain. A quick playthrough of the trial revealed that while it is cheap both in price and in game mechanics, I was surprised by the level of moderate enjoyment that I got from this title--keep in mind I'm not a harsh critic on Xbox Indie developers, though.

I Accidentally...In Space! Ep180 MSP

This game is pretty fun--I enjoyed the hybrid platformer/vertical shoot-em-up mechanics that combine together for fast-paced fun. The graphics are decent, but nothing special--the real tasty bits of the title are found in the gameplay itself.

That wraps up the impressions of the two Xbox Indie titles released today on March 15, 2011. Stay tuned for more impressions on newly released XBLIG's!

Today is Wednesday March 16, 2011 and with another day comes more Xbox Indie releases. Today's new titles are "Crisis: North Korea","Solve It", "Burea - Agent Kendall", and "A Tricky Game With a Cookie".

"It's the year 2012, take to the skies in an effort to liberate the North Korean people from their ruthless dictator. Fight planes, ships, and subs in this exciting arcade style shooter."

Xbox Marketplace Description

Yes, the box art to me is hilarious: I can't see any visual representation of Kim Jong-Il without laughing my ass off. I mean he was hilarious in Team America: World Police (pic below)

But I digress from my point. This Xbox Indie is all about airplane dogfights in the skies and shooting down ships that want nothing more than to see you blow up and die. The game itself is decent, but the missiles are way too phallic and kind of freak me out. Good for a trial play.

Solve It - Pack 180 MSP

Quote :

"Help Dennis get to the star by giving him instructions. 30 levels with gooey, rotating and rolling cubes!"

Xbox Marketplace Description

Dennis the...cat? I believe it's a cat, but I could be wrong...either way, Dennis needs our help in this Q-Bert styled puzzle game that is a bit complicated, but is rewarding once you get the hang of it. This is perfect for puzzle fans who want a challenge but don't want to seriously invest their time or a lot of MSP into a game.

Bureau - Agent Kendall400 MSP

Quote :

As Agent Kendall, you have been reassigned to work on a special crimes team. Things will never be the same again. Welcome to a new type of adventure / story game.

Xbox Live Description

This game has really good graphics, and is more of an episodic title and an adventure game sort of like the Decay games series. The protagonist, Agent Kendall, is of course as alluring as a sexy supermodel, and the dialogue in the game itself is a bit odd. Overall it's a great game for adventure fans that like FBI-themed titles, but all in all its worth a Trial play unless you really like it.

A Tricky Game With a Cookie80 MSP

Quote :

Would you like some cookies? Have one and enjoy every crumb.... Try to get the cookies through different levels of the game. You will be able to create your own levels by using the LevelEditor. You can roll ahead, jump over peaks, slide under beams... but be careful not to slip... Enjoy the incredible soundtrack, made by a real candyman. Cookies are addictive..... can you break the new record..?

Okay...I know what you're thinking--Wtf is this? Basically this game is a platformer where players must use cookies to jump over areas and obstacles, getting to the end, etc.

It also comes with its own level editor, which is definitely cool and adds more customization, yet it's still not as tasty as a real life cookie.

All of these titles aren't anything super special, and are examples of the zanier types of Xbox Indies that are more common to the marketplace.

Although Agent Kendall looks pretty decent, fans are more excited about the Dream Build Play submissions that the developers are hard at work on, and we'll see some amazing games submitted to that contest. <--Yes, that is a Cyclops!

Today we have a few new titles for the XBLIG market--Spacecraft and MoonLander, both of which look pretty neat. MoonLander is an obvious remake of the retro arcade game Lunar Lander which used vector graphics.

(NOTE: Click on each picture to be brought to the official Xbox Marketplace web page.)

MoonLander80 MSP

You have arrived into lunar orbit with only a small amount of air and fuel remaining. You must break orbit and navigate your spacecraft down to the moon’s surface in search of a safe landing. Only a skilled set of hands will guide you to safety while fighting the force of gravity and managing air and fuel reserves.--Xbox Live Marketplace Description

MoonLander is a bit challenging, but it stays true the the classic which is insanely difficult. One thing, though--why does every single spacecraft or rocket ship in an Indie game have to be phallic? I mean...c'mon now. Anyway this title was developed by a seemingly newer XBLIG team called Bounding Box Games LLC, and I'm not sure if they've made previous titles or not.

The game itself is definitely worth a try if you enjoyed Lunar Lander or any iteration of it, and its a mere 80 MSP making it something you wouldn't regret buying unless of course you hated the game--which of course is a reason why you shouldn't have bought it after all XD

Spacecraft80 MSP

"Action game featuring advanced game play and physics. Single and Cooperative play! Death match and Racing mode! 36 levels filled with action, chaos, puzzles and lots of fun!"--Xbox Live Marketplace Description

This game is a bit difficult as well--there's just too much stuff on the screen at one time, and there's no indicators etc. Basically players float around and shoot turrets and other objects...but one question--why are there TREES growing out of what appears to be metal blocks? Maybe they're stone...but still. It's just a bit weird and doesn't really fit into the whole genre--if anything this should be taking place in space.

All in all, this title is a platformer-like 2D space blaster which funky floaty physics. I'd just advise a trial playthrough and that's it--if you really enjoy it, by all means buy it, but I wouldn't advise it.

Abronium Tournament80 MSP

"Join the Abronium cyber world for a hot thrilling tournament competition. Gather friends/family and build your own cool tournament using 35 different maps from 10 different game modes (EG: Race, CTF, Soccer, Chase & Fetch). With up to 16 players in a local game you’ll have the perfect party booster. Play one-to-one or gather up in teams to see who will score the most or get knocked out."

Well that about wraps up the new XBLIG releases for Satuday March 19th. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates--occasionally I may skip over a few titles since they're not always released at the same times as I write this.

Quite honestly, yesterday's releases look awful, so I'd rather not take the time on those sorts of games--they just end up aggravating me.

Today we have three new Avatar games (surprise surprise!) brought to the market. Now I usually don't mind avatar games, but there's just too many now, and I have a feeling we'll only see more and more so it'd be a good idea to at least try to like them (if you can).

Bouncing Avatars80 MSP

"Trapped in a bubble you can only bounce and climb up. Your goal is to rise as high as you can while avoiding dangerous objects, insidious platforms and much more. Play alone for the record or against your friends in a funny multiplayer match!"

Running Pixel brings us a strange but fun Avatar title where players are trapped in a bubble and must float upwards, dodging dangerous objects that will pop the bubble and send your character to their untimely demise. It's something that pretty much anyone could play, especially younger kids, and isn't inappropriate.

Dude Where's My Avatar?80 MSP

Don't get lost in the crowd! Use those quick reflexes to find your avatar and beat scores from your friends... and the WORLD!

Sort of a host of mini-games to entertain players and their friends...however I don't find it to be that fun. Play at your own risk XD

Avatar Fighter80 MSP

A fighting game... with avatars!!!

Out of all the new Avatar games that came out today, this one takes the cake--it's like Tekken with Avatars. Okay, maybe it's not THAT good--the hit collision needs some work, however it's still a fun game that anyone can enjoy, and you can even block. Good stuff!

Well that wraps up the new XBLIG's released on March 20,2011--we have a total of three Avatar games released today, and overall the best title would have to be Avatar Fighter.

Today we have two new XBLIG titles released on the market: Allied Assault Squadron and Lazy Gamer.

Allied Assault Squadron240 MSP

"In Allied Assault Squadron (AAS), the player experiences aerial combat as a member of an elite World War II fighter pilot team. AAS is a top down 2D aerial shooter in which the player controls one of six World War II era fighter planes, on a mission to clear the grounds and skies of enemies."

Aeternus Studios brings us a classic war game where players fly airplanes to destroy enemies. Okay, to be honest I suck hard at games like these so its difficult for me to give an unbiased diagnosis, however it's great for those that like RTS-like games where you use ships and airplanes to destroy your enemies. Overall I'd say its best for younger gamers as well, and its a bit pricey so you'd do well to already enjoy the genre before the purchase.

The graphics are decent and the play-style is a bit hard for me to control, however it's a pretty neat game all in all. I personally suck at these games, but I'm sure there's many gamers out there who love 'em.

Lazy Gamer80 MSP

I can't feel my legs... [ This games contains Coarse Language. Player Discretion is Advised ]

From Silver Dollar Games, the Xbox Indie studio that's famous for it's arcade-like titles that all cost 80 MSP, comes Lazy Gamer. Okay, sure; it's a somewhat decent game for 80 MSP, but for an Xbox Indie its like...were they trying? I mean its funny, sort of--cussing and other "coarse" language, however it's lacking in many aspects.

As a studio Silver Dollar has a shitload of games out there and they're all aimed at different audiences; I respect their gameplan and the way they do this, however the games themselves are bland in many ways. Anyway, this game is something you'd want to stay away from unless you like games where you don't have to think.

Well that about wraps up the two XBLIG titles released today, March 21, 2011: Allied Assault Squadron and Lazy Gamer

Today there are some exciting additions to the XBLIG marketplace: Pioneerz, Infinity Danger, and Strategic Warfare.

Pioneerz400 MSP

"A pioneer's life : protect your town, gather food, explore the wilderness, fight hostiles animals, conquier ennemies town... The road is harsh to make a peacefull kingdom. Pioneerz is the sequel of pioneer. It revisit and improve all of pioneer aspect (battle, world generation, city building...)"

Pioneerz is a new rendition of Aureil Games' older game "Pioneer" which is the same price on the marketplace. This game is more like a Sim-type game, yet I find it to be awesome. Although it's a bit pricey at $5 USD (400 MSP), it's well worth it as the game itself is seriously huge and players can enjoy it for hours and hours on end.

This title is an epic adventure that is exciting and entertaining, and it has a lot of improvements over the first title. All in all, I believe that Aureil games is an under-rated studio that deserves some time in the spotlight--games like CStW sort of hog all the praise while titles like these go un-noticed.

Hopefully a major game review company like IGN will take notice and check it out and it'll get some time in the limelight, it's well deserved as the game is really awesome and is well worth the higher MSP price.

Infinity Danger80 MSP

"Fight against an almighty enemy that evolves to exploit your weak points! Inspired on the 2003 computer game "Warning Forever""

Milkstone Studios brings us Infinity Danger, a badass full 3-D twin-stick spacefighter that reminds me of Ikaruga's fast-paced action. This game is a must-have for all spacefighter fans, especially fans of the RadainGames series. Milkstone hit the mark with this title and it will assuredly be a hit--at least it deserves to be.

Highly recommended for all fans of twin-stick space shooters. Huge amounts of action and it really makes players feel like a total badass during gameplay.

Strategic Warfare: Conflict80 MSP

Become the hero of Triburius. Fight through 15 levels and face off against 11 unique AI styles and 8 different puzzles. A fast paced realtime strategy game where you will face-off against trolls, two-headed giants, demons and more...

Okay, first off the box art is severely misleading--that has to be one of the coolest XBLIG box arts that I've seen, but the gameplay is more like an RTS than anything else. And on the menu screens it looks like the arrows were drawn haphazardly on MS Paint--no, I'm not making this up.

Anyway,once you navigate through the huge amount of pages that explain how to play the game--if you didn't read them, you won't know what to do. Frankly, I find this game to be too tedious, and in theory it could be good, I just can't figure out what to do.

Gamers don't want to have to sit through a huge amount of explanation on how to play the game, especially an Indie. I find that the cover art completely misleads gamers, too, and could trick them into buying something that they don't like.

Its JUST like buying an NES game because the cover looks cool (take "Rambo" for example), only to find out the game is horrible beyond measure--Im not saying this particular title is awful...but it is confusing as hell, and some aspects are very lazily designed.

Today on March 23rd we have three new additions to the XBLIG Marketplace: Satellite, AardBloxx, and CTG.

Satellite80 MSP

"Starting from a small body, build a large satellite in the orbit of any of the four rocky planets of your choice! Be careful, though! Strategy is the *key* to making sure you build a strong satellite. Try to build a satellite and see how good you are to find out what we mean! Choose from either side, being the pirates or the good ol' federation!"

This Xbox Indie is pretty complicated, and to be honest I was surprised with the level of depth the developer was able to put into it for a 80 MSP title. Basically the game is like a sci-fi RTS, low-res and based in blocks. Sort of like an older Sim-City game in a way. So you're building stuff, keeping the things you build in order--constantly repairing them and checking everything is a must.

This game would be recommended more for players who enjoy RTS-style games where you make cities and miscellaneous buildings, and for only 80 MSP I'm impressed with the expansiveness of the title. You'll have to play the trial a few times if you want to get through the whole tutorial and get some actual playing in, but it's worth it since you'll know what to do.

AardBloxX80 MSP

AardBloxX is a 3D puzzle game designed to exercise your mind. Blocks are sent at you which must be fit into flat planes at an increasing pace. You will have a blast playing this game, and it will help keep you mentally sharp and improve your spatial awareness! With two modes for both new and advanced players, it allows you to tweak gameplay to your liking for the best puzzle experience.

Watching the Demo is the best way to figure out how to play this Xbox Indie puzzler that takes a spin on the classic Tetris forumla and tosses 3D dynamics and physics in the mix. AardBloxX is a great Xbox Indie, yet you have to figure out how to play it at first since there really isn't a tutorial or anything.

This puzzler is in full 3-D making for nice graphics, and all pieces act as they should in three-dimension space. Basically players must make flat horizontal layers with pieces, rotating each piece in such a way that it would fit with the others. Once a layer is formed, pieces are destroyed and the player earns points. The key to the game is to strategically place each piece so that they compliment one another, and try to keep open spaces so that pieces don't stack up.

I have to say that I'm impressed with AardBloxX--sure at first I had no idea how to play it, but once I was acclimated to the controls and learned how to play it, it became an enjoyable puzzler. Its a bit complicated even once you're familiar with it, and I wouldn't recommend it to everyone--definitely worth a try if you like puzzle games, especially ones that have evolved from Tetris.

CTG80 MSP

Take on hordes of grannies in HD and make their dentures fly, you get an arsenal of weapons at your disposal: gravity gun, grenades, crazy madness and MEGA BLASTER. Make the grannies fly into the granny grinder when they attack in buses, rascals they even got cannons and kamikaze-allies. You can actually combo the grandmothers into the grinder for more points and awesomeness.

This game is insane, and I honestly had a good time playing it--yet it was pretty hard in the trial (at least for me) and I don't want to wear out my RB button any sooner than I have to. Other than that, the game is wacky, crazy and fun--pretty much defines some of the stranger cult-ish Xbox Indies out there that have that appealing odd-ness about them.

All in all I found it to be a bit difficult to shoot the lemon things and of course the monochrome grannies to their "goal"--its inherently as physics based game as gravity is in play every second. Players must focus and pay attention to what's falling and what is close to the goal. What's worse is that you have to ricochet some objects off of walls to get them to the goal; usually I just get Rapid Fire and get them up that way.

I think the trial was meant to be harder to show you the basic mechanics of the game; giving you a taste of it but also with-holding the huge amount of power ups you get in the full game. With that in mind, I think the full game would be even more insane because of the additional bonuses that make everything easier, and for only 80 MSP I'd still advise a trial playthrough first because you may not like the craziness of it.

CTG is pretty fun and I'd recommend it to people who like the crazier and zanier XBLIG's rather than the serious ones--it's definitely ridiculous yet entertaining.

Today we have two additions to the XBLIG Marketplace: Lil' Demons: Splatter, a fun FPS solo arena-type game; and CEPINAS, a strategic spaceflight game with realistic physics.

NOTE: Click on each picture to be brought to each game's Xbox Live Marketplace page.

Lil' Demons: Splatter80 MSP

Kill the demons, absorb their blood for powerups! Lil' Demons: Splatter includes Wave Survival and King of the Hill game modes, piles of weapons, and supports multiple 3D rendering modes including anaglyph glasses. All for just 80 points!

This game is just...awesome. I really really enjoyed the trial version--being a long-time fan of FPS games its no wonder I'd enjoy it. Lil' Demons: Splatter reminds me of a hi-tech and kooky version of Wasteland 2033 in a Portal-esque environment; the gun itself even looks like it's straight out of Portal.

The graphics are in full 3D, and there are multiple obstacles and areas to use to your advantage. Basically players use the same multi-axis controls found in most Xbox 360 FPS titles, where one analog stick controls movement and the other controls aiming. There's no inversion and the controls are very fluent making gameplay fluid and easy to use.

Wave after wave of demons come and players must be prepared, using strategy and improvisation skills in a battle of wits, reflexes, and focus. Reloading is automatic and the aim is quite dynamic and accurate. Overall I'm quite impressed with this game, and I've purchased it after playing it for three minutes or so. It also reminds me of that XBLA title Monday Night Combat in some ways.

It can be annoying, too, especially since there's a massive amount of demons to slay; each demon's color corresponds with one of four face buttons on the X360 controller: (A)(B)(X) and (Y). Each specified color represents four abilities: Super Speed, Slow Time, Shield, and Rapid Fire.

One small problem; how do you fill the meter for each ability? Well here's the really odd part--you have to stand in the enemy's blood--you know those pools that drench the floor. Soak up enough demon blood (yeah it doesn't sound too appealing) and the meter fills up, each one filling with the respective color.

I'd recommend all FPS fans to at least give it a whirl--it's nothing extremely special but I found it to be entertaining as I'm a survival-FPS fan--shooting down hordes of enemies all the while scrambling to survive is a great way to enjoy a shooter.

CEPINAS80 MSP

CEPINAS is a sci-fi Space Shooter / Strategy game. Conquer planets with the "CONQ" weapon, defend them against the aggressive invanders and become the new emperor of the universe. Choose wisely your path to victory, become a unstoppable one man Army or make your conquered planets to self-defending battlestations.

This game reminds me somewhat of the newer XBLIG "Satellite" in the whole space theme and overall graphics and style. The game has very pleasant environments with planets, scrolling nebulas and black holes, as well as multiple layers of stars to give it that infinite-space look.

The gameplay itself is pretty damn hard, as the game uses the classic astro-physics that are seen with the very first video game ever made: Space War and the difficult to control flight mechanics seen in the XBLIG Nova Lancer by Rickettz Studios. Now I'm not saying that this feature makes the game bad, but it definitely makes it harder than it needs to be.

Players must navigate this hard-to-control starship around a planet--which is in a perfect circle--and must enclose the planet with the CONQ weapon. This gun conquers any given celestial body once its surrounded completely, yet thats the problem--it's pretty difficult.

If you're skilled at these types of games, then this title is just for you; there are multiple upgrades and additions you can buy for your ship as well as weapons, offering enhanced gameplay. There are also a few enemies competing with you in your quest of galactic domination, and they will stop at nothing to see you destroyed and to best you in conquests.

Another day means more XBLIG releases: today we have two new games released: a rather bizarre Xbox Indie title called "Can You Handle 2 At Once" by Stegersaurus Games, makers of the esteemed and zany BabyMaker Games, and pretty decent platformer called Oozi: Earth Adventure Ep. 1.

Can You Handle 2 At Once80 MSP

So you think you're pretty good don't you? Got used to the old 1 on 1, but how about 2 at once? Do you have the speed, dexterity, and focus for that kind of challenge? Only one way to find out...

With a shameless double entrende that is the name of this Xbox Indie title you'd expect it to be from Silver Dollar Games or another studio infamous for using ladies on their games. Stegersarus Games takes that image and distorts it to provide deliciously disturbing box art that is as creepy as it is humorous.

This game is a true test of a gamer's dexterity as there are literally two games going at once. Sounds impossible, right? Well it's not that hard, at first, but the games get harder and more complex as players progress. Eventually you're straining your eyes to catch everything that's happening.

In the trial there's a few games to choose from, and the full game of course unlocks them all. The graphics aren't anything impressive, and overall the quality of the game is somewhat low, but its surprisingly fun since it's so simplistic--yet challenging. A good buy for gamers who like punctual Xbox Indies but not recommended for serious gamers without a sense of humor.

This is one of Stegersaurus' more obscure and odd titles, especially the weird women on the cover. Aside from those freaky women, the game in itself is decent and worth a try. This is the same studio that brought us the BabyMaker Extreme titles--popular low-res game that cleverly used simple button-mashing mechanics in a hilarious way.

Oozi: Earth Adventure Ep. 180 MSP

Oozi: Earth Adventure is where classic platformer gameplay meets modern visuals and hand-drawn art. 5 story mode levels, 7 extra challenge levels for hardcore gamers, time limited arcade mode and dozens of enemies. All that for only 80 MSP!

Oozi is a badass platformer with really good graphics, awesome dynamics, and even a great story arc that's humorous and amusing. This entertaining Xbox Indie uses familiar side-scrolling elements that gamers are familiar with, and Mario-esque mechanics that players will find enjoyable.

It has checkpoints strewn intermittenly around the levels, and the animation is very fluid and awesome for an Xbox Indie. Jump on enemies, collect hundreds of stars for extra lives and power ups, and use the Action button to read signs and interact with the environment.

Oozi has it all and platformer fans will enjoy this title--sure its not retro bit-style, but more modernized and has an overall pleasant appearance with favorable aesthetics. This game is also perfectly appropriate for younger players as well, so gamers' family or children can enjoy the title with no worries.

That wraps up the XBLIG Releases for March 25th, 2011--Steger Games' "Can You Handle 2 At Once?" & "Oozi: Earth Adventure Ep. 1" by AwesomeGames Studio are both unique additions, the former being quite strange and bizarre and the latter being quite a surprising gem in the Xbox Indie marketplace.